"Actor: Ken Wa"

• Night of the Felines | Blu Ray | (07/04/2025) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Roman Porno maestro Noboru Tanaka (Watcher in the Attic, The Oldest Profession) brings his characteristically poetic approach to this vibrant collage of the lives, loves and dreams of a group of sex workers at a ˜soapland' bathhouse massage parlour in Tokyo. Masako (Tomoko Katsura), and her out-of-hours relationship to her next-door neighbour Honda (Ken Yoshizawa; Ecstasy of Angels, Guts of a Beauty) is the focus of this love letter to the vibrant Kabukicho entertainment district in its early 1970s heyday, presented for the very first time in the UK by 88 Films.

• WOLVES, PIGS AND MEN | Blu Ray | (26/08/2024) from £17.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Ferocious, dynamic yakuza thriller from Kinji Fukasaku Eureka Entertainment to release WOLVES, PIGS AND MEN; Kinji Fukasaku's blood-soaked yakuza masterpiece. Presented on Blu-ray from a new 2K restoration. The first print run of 2000 copies only will exclusively feature a limited edition O-card slipcase. A standout yakuza film directed by a master of the genre in Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), Wolves, Pigs and Men is an uncompromising treatise on brutality and brotherhood starring Rentarô Mikuni (Harakiri), Kin'ya Kitaôji (Battles Without Honour and Humanity: Final Episode) and the inimitable Ken Takakura (Abashiri Prison). Kuroki (Mikuni), Jirô (Takakura) and Sabu (Kitaôji) are three brothers born into poverty. Kuroki, the eldest, finds an escape from his squalid beginnings by turning to organised crime - and soon both Jirô and Sabu have followed him into the yakuza lifestyle. But none of the brothers see eye to eye, each of them showing more loyalty to their criminal comrades than to their siblings. Following a stint in prison, Jirô convinces Sabu to help him pull off a potentially lucrative heist, leading to a series of betrayals and horrifically violent acts that will test the bonds of blood to their breaking point. Blending the staple themes of the Japanese gangster film with narrative and aesthetic qualities borrowed from the French New Wave and American film noir, Wolves, Pigs and Men stands as one of the finest yakuza movies of the 1960s. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from a new restoration of the original film elements by Toei. 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a restoration of the original film elements supplied by Toei | Original Japanese audio track (uncompressed LPCM mono) | Audio commentary track by Jasper Sharp | Interview with screenwriter Jun'ya Satô | Interview with producer Tatsu Yoshida | Interview with Kinji Fukasaku's biographer, Sadao Yamane | Trailer | PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring new writing by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom

• Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Blu Ray | (14/10/2019) from £8.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-speciesthought to be mere mythsrise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.

• Epics | DVD | (18/09/2006) from £12.64   |  Saving you £5.35 (42.33%)   |  RRP £17.99

  The Last Samurai: Decorated Civil War veteran Nathan Algren (Cruise) is sent to Japan to train and lead the Emperor's troops in modern Western gunpowder intensive warfare to eliminate the country's remaining rebelling samurai. Captured and imprisoned by the outlawed warriors Algren is slowly swayed by their strict adherence to the honourable code of Bushido and when the Emperor's forces mass once again Algren offers to join his former captors in an effort to preserve their way of life... Alexander: The Director's Cut: Oliver Stone's Alexander is based on the true story of one of history's most luminous and influential leaders Alexander the Great (Colin Farrell) - a man who had conquered 90% of the known world by the age of 27. Alexander led his virtually invincible Greek and Macedonian armies through 22 000 miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years and by the time of his death at the age of 32 had forged an empire unlike any the world had ever seen. The film chronicles Alexander's path to becoming a living legend from a youth fueled by dreams of myth glory and adventure to his lonely death as a ruler of a vast Empire. Alexander is the incredible story of a life that united the known world and proved if nothing else fortune favours the bold. This release of Oliver Stone's Alexander features his director's cut (167 mins); which re-imagines and re-shapes the original theatrical film with virtually hundreds of edits and re-configurations of sequences. Troy: In 1193B.C. the dandy Trojan prince Paris (Bloom) irresponsibly spirits away the unhappy wife of Menelaus (Gleeson) the Spartan king. Demanding the return of Helen the Greeks launch a thousand ships and lay siege to Troy. Under the command of Agamemnon (Cox) revered warrior Achilles (Pitt) leads the Greek forces against the Trojan defenders commanded by Hector (Bana) who carries the fate of his nation on his shoulders...

• Godzilla: King of the Monsters | DVD | (14/10/2019) from £3.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-speciesthought to be mere mythsrise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.

• Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters | Blu Ray | (11/06/2018) from £32.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Paul Schrader's dazzlingly unconventional biopic, with a celebrated score by Philip Glass. In this visually stunning, collagelike portrait of the acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yukio Mishima (played by Vengeance Is Mine's KEN OGATA), PAUL SCHRADER (American Gigolo) investigates the inner turmoil and contradictions of a man who attempted the impossible task of finding harmony among self, art, and society. Taking place on Mishima's last day, when he famously committed public seppuku, the film is punctuated by extended flashbacks to the writer's life as well as by gloriously stylized evocations of his fictional works. With its rich cinematography by JOHN BAILEY, exquisite sets and costumes by EIKO ISHIOKA, and unforgettable, highly influential score by PHILIP GLASS, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a tribute to its subject and a bold, investigative work of art in its own right. Features: DIRECTORAPPROVED BLURAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New, restored 4K digital transfer of the director's cut, supervised and approved by director Paul Schrader and cinematographer John Bailey, with 2.0 surround DTSHD Master Audio soundtrack Two optional English narrations, including one by actor Roy Scheider Audio commentary from 2008 featuring Schrader and producer Alan Poul Interviews from 2007 and 2008 with Bailey, producers Tom Luddy and Mata Yamamoto, composer Philip Glass, and production designer Eiko Ishioka Interviews from 2008 with Mishima biographer John Nathan and friend Donald Richie Audio interview from 2008 with coscreenwriter Chieko Schrader Interview excerpt from 1966 featuring Mishima talking about writing The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima, a 55minute documentary from 1985 about the author Trailer PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Kevin Jackson, a piece on the film's censorship in Japan, and photographs of Ishioka's sets

• Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Blu Ray | (14/10/2019) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-speciesthought to be mere mythsrise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.

• SAMURAI REINCARNATION | Blu Ray | (19/06/2023) from £12.08   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In the aftermath of a failed rebellion, Amakusa Shiro (Kenji Sawada) is crucified, but returns as a vengeance-filled demon with the power to resurrect the dead. Shiro uses his power to assemble a team of undead warriorsincluding legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (Ken Ogata)and the only one who can stop them is the wandering samurai, Yagyu Jubei (Sonny Chiba).A spectacular chanbara fantasy epic from Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale), Samurai Reincarnation makes its UK debut from a stunning 2K restoration as part of the Masters of Cinema series.Special FeaturesLimited Edition Slipcase (First print run of 2000 copies) featuring artwork by Takato Yamamato1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the original film elementsUncompressed original Japanese mono audioAlternate English dubbed audioOptional English subtitlesBrand new audio commentary by Tom MesBrand new interview with filmmaker Kenta FukasakuOriginal Japanese trailerPLUS: A collectors booklet featuring new writing on the film

• Black Rain | DVD | (04/09/2000) from £6.91   |  Saving you £6.08 (87.99%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A guilty pleasure if ever there was one, Black Rain is a ridiculously entertaining thriller by Ridley Scott (Alien), starring Michael Douglas as a tough New York cop who--along with his partner (Andy Garcia)--goes to Japan to deliver a local mobster. When the latter escapes, Douglas's brand of gonzo crime fighting rubs his Japanese hosts the wrong way. Slick, mechanistic, and absurd, the film is all surface action and attitude (not to mention Scott's incredibly busy, trademark art direction); and one can get lost in the sheer indulgence of it. However, if you can buy Douglas as an iconoclastic lawman, you can buy anything else here, including the notion of Kate Capshaw as a blonde escort highly desired by Japanese businessmen. -- Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Ian Rankin's Rebus - The Ken Stott Collection | DVD | (15/10/2012) from £29.95   |  Saving you £0.04 (0.13%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Ken Stott stars as the eponymous hero Detective Inspector John Rebus in ten classic adaptations of Ian Rankin's worldwide bestselling detective novels of the same name. Set in Edinburgh, the mercurial Rebus’s investigations lead him through the city's ancient beauty and into its more sinister quarters. Stott's portrayal of Rebus is recognisably Rankin's tough and street savvy character, but is softened by a sense of humour and a taste for romance. So sit back and enjoy more than 12 hours of John Rebus at his very best.

• Dallas - Season 14 | DVD | (21/03/2011) from £25.63   |  Saving you £-0.64 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The 14th and final season of Dallas finds ruthless oil executive J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) escaping from a mental institution then resuming his Herculean efforts to wrest control of Ewing Oil from his brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy). Episodes Comprise: 1. April in Paris 2. Charade 3. One Last Kiss 4. Terminus 5. Tunnel of Love 6. Heart and Soul 7. The Fabulous Ewing Boys 8. The Odessa File 9. Sail On 10. Lock Stock and Jock 11. 'S' Is for Seduction 12. Designing Women 13. 90265 14. Smooth Operator 15. Win Some Lose Some 16. Fathers and Sons and Fathers and Sons 17. When the Wind Blows 18. Those Darned Ewings 19. Farewell My Lovely 20. Some Leave Some Get Carried Out 21. The Decline and Fall of the Ewing Empire 22. Conundrum

• The Horse Soldiers | DVD | (01/03/2004) from £12.01   |  Saving you £0.98 (8.16%)   |  RRP £12.99

  John Wayne teams with William Holden and eminent western director John Ford for this frontier actioner. Written by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin this faithful representation of one of the most daring cavalry exploits in history is both a moving tribute to the men who fought and died in that bloody war and a powerful action-packed drama. Based on an actual Civil War incident The Horse Soldiers tells the rousing tale of a troop of Union Soldiers who force their way deep into Sou

• The Last Samurai (Two Disc Edition) | DVD | (07/05/2004) from £4.50   |  Saving you £11.49 (255.33%)   |  RRP £15.99

  When an American military officer is hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the 1870s, he is unexpectedly impressed by the Imperial Samurai warriors and their way of life.

• South Pacific | DVD | (20/03/2006) from £4.25   |  Saving you £8.74 (205.65%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Blessed with a treasure of timeless songs South Pacific combines the passionate heartwarming romance of a naive young Navy nurse (Mitzi Gaynor) and an older French plantation owner (Rossano Brazzi) with South Seas splendour and a world at war while the breathtaking score is highlighted by some of the most romantic songs ever written.

• Flags of our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima (2 Disc Special Edition) | DVD | (09/07/2007) from £8.31   |  Saving you £17.68 (212.76%)   |  RRP £25.99

  Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities - and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign - after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history. As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatising the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima is a masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from a spare, tightly focused screenplay by first-time screenwriter Iris Yamashita) has crafted a truly Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue (with subtitles) and filmed in a contemplative Japanese style, serving as both complement and counterpoint to Eastwood's previously released companion film Flags of Our Fathers. Where the earlier film employed a complex non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to dramatise one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and its traumatic impact on American soldiers, Letters reveals the battle of Iwo Jima from the tunnel- and cave-dwelling perspective of the Japanese, hopelessly outnumbered, deprived of reinforcements, and doomed to die in inevitable defeat. While maintaining many of the traditions of the conventional war drama, Eastwood extends his sympathetic touch to humanise "the enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honour against insurmountable odds. From the weary reluctance of a young recruit named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) to the dignified yet desperately anguished strategy of Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi (played by Oscar-nominated The Last Samurai costar Ken Watanabe), whose letters home inspired the film's title and present-day framing device, Letters from Iwo Jima (which conveys the bleakness of battle through a near-total absence of colour) steadfastly avoids the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to ill-fated men who can only dream of the comforts of home. --Jeff Shannon

• Sweeney 2 | DVD | (04/02/2019) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  John Thaw and Dennis Waterman star once again as the Flying Squad's finest in this brutal and uncompromising feature-film spin-off from one of television's most memorable series! Co-starring Denholm Elliott and Ken Hutchison, Sweeney 2 has been newly transferred from original film elements. A callous gang of bank robbers is creating havoc on the London streets. Efficient and ruthless and with Regan and Carter in hot pursuit they leave a trail of dead bodies and smashed cars in their wake. SPECIAL FEATURES: Theatrical Trailer Image gallery PDF material

• Love Me Tender | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £5.82   |  Saving you £7.17 (123.20%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In his film debut singing idol Elvis Presley stars in this action-filled romance set in the aftermath of the Civil War. After hearing his older brother (Richard Egan) has been killed in combat a young Texas farmer (Presley) marries the man's sweetheart (Debra Paget). But his brother returns sparking a bitter sibling rivalry and tragic confrontations with Union soldiers... Featuring four Presley hits on the film's soundtrack including the title track.

• Massacre Gun | Blu Ray | (14/08/2017) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Genre icon Jô Shishido stars in this tense and violent yakuza yarn from genre stalwart and Seijun Suzuki s former assistant, Yasuharu Hasebe (Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701 s Grudge Song). Shishido stars as Kuroda, a mob hitman who turns on his employers after being forced to execute his lover. Joining forces with his similarly wronged brothers, hot-headed Eiji (Tatsuya Fuji, In the Realm of the Senses) and aspiring boxer Saburô (Jirô Okazaki, Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter), the trio escalate their mob retaliation to all-out turf war where no one will stop until one faction emerges victorious. Strikingly violent for the period and gorgeously photographed in monochrome like genre siblings Branded to Kill and A Colt is My Passport (Shishido s other films from 1967), Massacre Gun is a bold iteration on the genre featuring some stunning compositions and the assured direction of Hasebe.

• Hana-Bi | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £13.59   |  Saving you £6.40 (47.09%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The ideal starter movie for those who wish to familiarise themselves with the work of the paradoxical Japanese auteur, Hana-Bi (the word means "fireworks" in Japanese) is an echt example of "Beat"'s Takeshi Kitano's distinctive brand of existential crime thrillers. Like Violent Cop, Boiling Point, Sonatine or his LA-set Brother, Hana-Bi juxtaposes shocking bursts of violence with reflective moments of lyricism, setting up a slap-caress-slap rhythm that's as disquieting as it is addictive. Kitano himself plays weary Tokyo cop Nishi, an impassive-faced detective in hock to yakuza mobsters, toughened by a career in violence (at one point he takes out an attacker's eye with a chopstick, an assault so swiftly edited one barely has time to register it). Nishi's Achilles-heel is his love for his wife Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto) who is dying of cancer, following their late daughter to the grave. When Nishi leaves a stakeout to attend to her in hospital, a colleague, Horibe (Ren Osugi) is paralysed in the ensuing shootout. Nishi, guilt-stricken, goes on the run with Miyuki, taking her to beauty spots to enjoy simple pleasures like kite-flying and picnics before she dies, although the yakuza are never far behind. Meanwhile, Horibe takes up painting, and discovers in the process a calming new vocation (the na&239;ve, disturbing and strangely beautiful images are by Kitano himself, painted after he had his own near-fatal experience in a motorcycle accident). The cumulative effect is a profoundly moving and enigmatic movie, one that discreetly withholds many of the narrative crutches--backstory, motivation--you would expect from a conventional Hollywood movie with the same story. It's not surprising Kitano is so drawn to characters teeming with contradictions, given that his own career seems so bi-polar on paper: he started out a television presenting clown, and his move into glowering policiers represented an image volte-face as surprising to Japanese audiences as it would be if Dale Winton had started making Scorsese-style gangster movies. His comic sensibility shines through in spots in Hana-Bi, even more so in the broad comedy Kikujiro. Considered by many critics Kitano's best film, Hana-Bi^'s power is augmented by Hideo Yamamoto's lapidary cinematography, and Jo Hisaishi's lush, string-laden score. --Leslie Felperin

• The Searchers | DVD | (19/06/2006) from £6.46   |  Saving you £9.53 (147.52%)   |  RRP £15.99

  With The Searchers John Wayne and director John Ford forged an indelible saga of the frontier and the men and women who challenged it. Wayne plays Ethan Edwards an ex-Confederate who sets out to find his niece captured by Comanches who massacred his family. He won't surrender to hunger thirst the elements or loneliness. And in his obsessive quest Ethan finds something unexpected: his own humanity. One of the most influential movies ever made.